In the fall of 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) launched the AMBER plan: America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, across the United States. As is well known to those having skill in the art, the AMBER plan is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies and broadcasters to activate an urgent bulletin, known as an AMBER alert, in the most serious child-abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS), formerly called the Emergency Broadcast System, to air a description of the abducted child and a suspected abductor. The goal of the AMBER alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe return of the child. The AMBER plan was created in 1996 as a legacy to nine year old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Tex. In some states, the AMBER alert is known by a different name such as Levi's Call in Georgia, named for a young boy who was abducted and brutally murdered in 1997 and the Florida Emergency Missing Child Alert in Florida.
An AMBER plan is carried out once law enforcement has been notified about an abducted child and law enforcement determines that the case meets the AMBER plan's criteria for triggering an alert. If these criteria are met, alert information is put together for public distribution. This information can include descriptions and pictures of the missing child (abductee), the suspected abductor, a suspected vehicle and any other information that may help to identify the child and suspect. The information is then faxed to radio stations designated as primary stations under the EAS. The primary stations send the same information to area radio and television stations and cable systems via the EAS and it is immediately broadcast by participating stations to millions of listeners. Radio stations may interrupt programming to announce the alert and television stations and cable systems may run a “crawl” on the screen along with a picture of the child. Some states are also incorporating electronic highway billboards in their plans. The billboards, typically used to disseminate traffic information to drivers, can alert the public of abducted children, displaying pertinent information about the child, abductor or suspected vehicle that drivers might look for on highways. The AMBER plan is described in detail on the website MissingKids.com.
Some businesses also have attempted to participate in AMBER alerts. In particular, corporations that may have a mobile workforce may be able to assist in participating in an AMBER alert. For example, SBC Communications Inc. has been reported to provide AMBER alert paging codes to technician via pagers that are worn by technician in Texas and Connecticut. However, these simple paging codes may be of limited utility. Other companies, such as America Online, have placed AMBER alert messages on their public websites. However, this placement also may have limited utility.